Is this area supposed to be open to run wires?

[fusion]

I have a 1976 280z.  When I got the car, there were no wires running from the front to the back for the taillights/etc.  I believe that the factory wires run in between the body and wheel well on passenger side.  But how do they get up to the firewall area?  It looks like they would run perfectly in the channel of the inside rocker area, but I cannot fish anything through the area right at the base of the wheel well/door area. (See picture)  How have others done this?   Pictures would be really nice.  Thanks in advance

[LooseRocks]

On the 240, it runs right there just against the rockers.  Not inside the rockers.  There are metal tabs to hold it against the rockers. 

[fusion]

Thanks for your reply.  Has anyone ever opened this area up?  It sure would be nice to not have wires in the cabin.

[LooseRocks]

What do you mean by "in the cabin"?  It sort of already runs in the cabin.  The 240z OEM rear chassis harness drops from the upper right foot well area (where the engine bay harness enters) and runs down and along the rockers inside the cabin.  A branch goes to the parking brake at the passenger seat cross member.  It then goes into the large lower hole in your picture and runs between the fender and the wheel arch.  A branch goes to the overhead lamp and window defroster.  This runs under the cover that’s above the seat.  It pop back into the trunk near the passenger tail-light.  It runs behind the panel at the rear of the trunk to the driver's tail light.  A branch goes through the trunk for the fuel sender and a dead circuit for a fuel pump in the 240z's case.  It ends behind the driver’s rear wheel well at the power antenna.  There’s also a branch there for the tiny OEM speaker if equipped.

 

If you’re doing a complete rewire you can do whatever you want. 

[fusion]

If the area in red in my picture had a passageway, then the wires running from the front to the back wouldn't need to be in the interior space of the cabin.  It would just be a cleaner install, IMO.  Your point of the wires still being in the footwell is a good point.   I will be doing a complete rewire and won't be using the factory connectors.  It looks like if the area in red was opened up, a passageway could be created.  Maybe not though, I'm not sure what's in the way in that area.  Thought I'd ask if someone has done it or at least knows what it looks like in there.

[LooseRocks]

I have not explored it but I don't know that you can get from inside the rocker into the rear quarter panel area.  And if you could you would have to consider that you're going to need to push a connector through there.  The other option is to de-pin the connector to run the wire and then re-body it once it has popped out where it needs to.

 

I'm doing a complete rewire myself and will use the OEM route.  It already has metal clips to retain the harness and the harness will be covered by the trim anyways.

[jhm]

I don't believe you can run the wires inside the interior sheetmetal like you are proposing.  Have you visually inspected it and verified that there's an open "run" between the rocker panel and the interior of the rear dogleg?

 

As I recall, you'd have to cut/drill an opening in the top of the rocker to do what you're proposing; which would 1) be a pain, that tight space, and 2) possibly compromise the integrity of the rocker section (which is an integral component of the shell's structure.)  If you're caging the car, then the structural issue is less of an issue.

 

You can easily run wiring through the rocker, using the pre-stamped holes from the factory; but obviously need to ensure that you have appropriate protection on the wiring to prevent rubbing and damage.